Oral History Story

By William Prescott (Scott) Allen, III

Regarding the History of Montrose/Dallas Creek Project

Long-time share holder of the Closed Family Corporation and
Publisher of The Montrose Daily Press

Based on an interview with Barbara and Jack Rairden on 4/14/17

 

I was the 4th publisher of The Montrose Daily Press for ten years from 1987 to 1997. Up to that point, I was basically, from birth, groomed to be in the business. I started out as janitor and paper boy, from the old letter press days to the introduction of offset printing. I knew how to operate proficiently all the equipment, taught people how to run the press. I could run the press. I had to fill in for anybody and everybody who would go on vacation.

My grandfather, William Prescott Allen, bought the business in 1946. At that time, he was the publisher of the Laredo Times in Laredo, Texas. And we had other properties in Leadville, CO and Walsenburg, CO and, at one time briefly, Juneau, Alaska. Finally, he weaned them all down to the two properties, Laredo and then Montrose. When my grandfather passed away, that ended our family relationship with Laredo times. It was sold, so the Daily Press became the sole remaining newspaper. He died in 1966, so the deal was probably consummated in 1967.

 

I started out in grade school doing janitor work and sweeping the sidewalks. We were at 438 Main Street at that time, where H&R Block is now, next to that Chinese restaurant.

The business moved to South 1st and South Park in 1968. It was an auto dealership. I don’t remember the name of it – it was kind of their mechanic’s building.

Several years later after I got out of college in 1974, I was in charge of the design of the new press room. I worked hand in hand with Bob Jackson, who was the general contractor and oversaw a lot of the aspects.

I majored in Journalism, and finished at the University of Colorado at Boulder.  I immediately went back to Montrose as the Circulation Director. While I was in the first couple of years of college, I was good friends with the Circulation Manager. He and I started all the motor routes that the paper currently has.

When I helped Garey, we went from zero motor routes to two, and the third one was in the works. Then when I joined, I saw that to fruition and then added four more.

So I knew basically every backroad and alley. My late wife and I would take drives and she would have a steno pad with her. I said: “We’ll take mileage between houses”. We had our own system of knowing if it’d be profitable or not.